Big Sick, The

Director: Michael Showalter

This true-life cross-cultural romance laced with both comedy and drama has considerable charm and contains some treasurable exchanges. But it does drag on and on, especially in the second half, as a basically 90-minute tale balloons close to the two-hour mark.

It's the story of Kumail Nanjiani (who, for some reason, decided to play himself) who, to his Pakistani family's disgust, has become a stand-up comedian in a Chicago bar.

Heckled one night by sparky blonde Emily (Kazan), he takes her home and beds her, but their subsequent liaison bodes badly for his own relationships with his family, especially his mother (Shroff) who, intent on an arranged marriage, provides him with a non-stop stream of prospective suitable partners.

Sensitive souls should be aware that there's a lot of swearing in this one, but also some brilliantly-written dialogue (by Kumail and the real Emily), often for Kumail's parents.